


Once upon a time, we burned bright

by millersmonty



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate S4, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Allison's Death, Rating May Change, Slow Build, cora and jackson come back, general kate and gerard warning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-21
Updated: 2014-07-28
Packaged: 2018-02-09 20:22:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1996566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/millersmonty/pseuds/millersmonty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As everyone tries to cope with the aftermath of the Nogitsune, there is a new threat closing in on them. Someone has put out a supernatural hit list, and they're all on it. It's the last thing they need when they're struggling with loss and changing relationships, and when old friends and enemies return, things get even more complicated.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be a season 4 AU. The only things really staying the same as canon so far are that Allison and Aiden both died, Ethan left, Kate is alive, and the Benefactor is having people killed. As you can see, the relationships are not the canon ones. I'm also playing with the 'pack' dynamics, and how I think the relationships between people would have changed after 3B. Ratings and tags will probably change at some point and more relationships may be added.

       The thick black fabric of the dress was too heavy, too itchy. The high neckline felt like hands around her throat choking the life out of her. The lace sleeves were constricting, like shackles from her shoulders to her wrists. Lydia had always loved that dress, but it was suddenly the most uncomfortable thing she’d ever worn and all she wanted was to tear it off and shove it back into the far corner of her closet. She would throw it out as soon as she got home. There was no way she’d ever be able to wear it again anyway.

       It felt like time stopped while she stood there in front of the mirror, looking at her reflection like it was someone else. Some other poor girl dressed in black with red-rimmed eyes getting ready for her best friend’s funeral. She likely would have stood there for hours if not for the faint knock on her bedroom door. She didn’t bother to respond, or even look up, not even when Kira leaned around the door and gave a sad smile that went unnoticed.

       “Hey,” Kira said, softly, as if she was speaking to a frightened animal, “I just came to see if you needed any help. It’s almost time.”

       When Lydia spoke her voice sounded rough, from lack of use and all the crying she’d done. She could still feel the effects of the scream she’d let out when Allison fell, too, leaving her throat raw even though it had been days. “Yeah. I’m ready.”

       Kira nodded and lead the way back downstairs. Her mother pulled her into a tight hug when they reached the foyer, but didn’t say anything. She knew her daughter well enough to know that all the comforting words in the world wouldn’t make a difference right now. Talking could come later, when the initial sting of grief had worn off a bit and Allison’s name didn’t get stuck in her throat anymore. She shared a nod with Kira as the girl lead Lydia out the door.

       As they pulled out of the Martin’s driveway, Lydia was suddenly thankful for Kira’s offer to drive to the funeral. At first Kira’s constant presence over the past few days had been an annoyance, as if the others thought she needed someone to keep an eye on her. But now she was grateful for it, because she knew she was in no condition to be driving. Lydia simply leaned her head against the cold window and watched the streets of Beacon Hills fly by. Everything was perfectly normal, as if it was just another day. It made Lydia feel sick to her stomach.

       The girls didn’t talk during the drive, didn’t even turn on the radio. Every few minutes Kira would look over at Lydia and open her mouth as if to say something, but she never did. The drive felt all too short for Lydia’s liking, even though it was a solid twenty minutes from her house to the cemetery on the outskirts of town, and before she knew it they were pulling down a narrow gravel way not far from where Allison would be buried. The others were already there, leaving Lydia and Kira the last ones to arrive.

       It was the first time Lydia had seen most of them in days. She’d been mostly keeping to herself, only really interacting with Kira, since the night they’d defeated the Nogitsune. She had thought a few times about checking in with everyone, to see how they were holding up, but she knew she was too consumed in her own grief to really be much use to anyone else. She had lost both Allison and Aiden within twenty-four hours, and had come close to losing a lot more. It would take a while to recover from that. She knew the others were probably feeling the same way, so she didn’t feel too bad about being distant. They would understand.

       There was complete silence around the gravesite, no one knowing quite what to say to each other. Chris, Scott, and Stiles were already on the front row of chairs, leaving one seat open to Stiles’ left that Lydia knew must be for her. Chris looked just as stoic as he always did, ever the Argent soldier. Scott was staring off into nothing with a distant look in his eyes and tear tracks dried on his cheeks. Stiles was hunched over, eyes firmly planted on the ground at his feet, with his jaw clenched so hard it had to be painful. She knew he was living with the guilt of what he had done. _What the Nogitsune made him do_. She had to keep reminding herself that it wasn’t Stiles who cornered her in Oak Creek and it wasn’t Stiles who made the Oni attack them. She had to remind herself, because otherwise she’d hate him.

       The whole thing went by rather quickly. A woman with a thick French accent, some relative of the Argents, led the ceremony. Lydia honestly didn’t pay much attention, keeping her wet eyes locked on Allison’s casket. It was as if she was punishing herself, forcing herself to look at the cold box holding her best friend. _Her sister_. A reminder that she had failed to protect someone she loved. She wouldn’t let it happen again. Before she knew it, the woman was asking if anyone had anything to say. No one did. They would all come back later, alone, and say all the things they needed to say to Allison. None of them had words that were meant for everyone to hear.

       When it was all over, after they had each put a flower on the casket and whispered their goodbyes, they stood around silently, as if waiting for someone to speak up. It was the most awkward the group had ever been, a tension in the air so thick Lydia was sure she could have gathered it in her hand. No one made eye contact. Lydia was about to grab Kira and leave when Chris finally broke the silence.

       “So,” his voice was raw, and he had to clear his throat before he could continue, “so, there’s food at the apartment. You’re all welcome to come over. Family all left town yesterday, so it’s just me…” Lydia was sure they could all hear the _“and I don’t really want to be alone”_ that was left unspoken.

       “We’d love to,” Melissa answered, reaching out to rest her hand on Chris’ arm and looking around at the group, as if daring anyone to refuse. No one did, so they all dispersed and made the drive back across town to the building that the Argents—that Chris—lived in.

***

       “You can take it, if you want.”

       Lydia jumped and turned when she heard Chris’ voice from behind her. She had been standing at the fireplace, looking at a picture of her and Allison at one of the Lacrosse games in the spring. They were holding hands and cheering for the boys, matching grins on their faces. Chris moved to stand beside her, looking down at the picture in her hand. A small, fond smile grew on his face.

       “I’d like to. If you really don’t mind.” She answered. She didn’t want to take anything holding memories away from him, but she also selfishly wanted to hang on to any little pieces of Allison that she could.

       Chris just nodded and moved a step away. “I don’t mind. I have plenty of pictures, and I think she would have wanted you to have that one.”

       Lydia reflexively hugged the picture frame to her chest and smiled. “Thank you.”

       Chris didn’t answer, just turned and walked into the kitchen. Lydia moved to put the picture, frame and all, into her purse on the couch. Kira was sitting on the middle cushion, nibbling on one of the finger sandwiches that had been made by Allison’s family before they left. Her gaze was locked on her own feet and she didn’t seem to notice when Lydia sat down beside her.

       “Hey. You alright?” Lydia asked. She knew that Kira and Allison were never close, but they had just started to form a tentative friendship when Allison died. She didn’t know all the details of what had happened out in the courtyard of Oak Creek that night, but whatever it was had had an effect on Kira.

        It was a moment before Kira answered, like she was trying to choose her words carefully. Finally she spoke lowly, as if she didn’t want anyone to hear. “I’m okay. I just…I guess I don’t know where I stand right now, with everyone. Everything’s confusing. No one’s talking about it.”

        Lydia understood. No one seemed to really know where to go from here, but it was clear that the dynamics of the group were likely to change. “It’s just the initial grief, I think. Once everyone has had time to process things...” Lydia didn’t even know what to say. Everything would go back to normal? No, things would never be normal again. “Honestly, I don’t know. All I know is we all need some time. But you have a place here, Kira. That won’t change.”

       “He held her. Allison. While she died. Scott did, I mean. There were…professions of love,” Kira responded quickly, letting her head fall back onto the couch.

       Lydia didn’t even know what to say. That must be what Kira had been so hung up about over the past few days. “Um…”

       “And I’m a horrible person,” Kira continued, before Lydia even had time to formulate an answer, “Because I can’t help but feel…I don’t even know what I feel. But I’m pretty sure it makes me a horrible person.”

       “You’re not,” Lydia answered. She wasn’t sure of much right now, but she felt pretty confident in the fact that Kira was anything but horrible, “It’s okay to feel…confused, or disappointed, or even a little jealous. Scott loved Allison, and maybe he never stopped loving her. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about you. It just means that he’ll need some time to figure things out. Just give him time.”

       Kira nodded and pulled herself up off the couch. “I’m going to go get another drink. You want to come?”

       “Thanks, but no. I actually think I need some fresh air. So I’ll just…” She gestured down the hall to the office, which she knew had a balcony. Kira just nodded in understanding and headed for the kitchen.

       Thankfully the small balcony was empty, occupied by only two little wrought iron chairs. She took the one closest to the railing, leaning her head against the cold metal bar beside her. How could she even be trying to give comforting words to others when she couldn’t even comfort herself? That had always been Lydia, though: always having a solution to other people’s problems but never able to solve her own. Allison had always teased her about it, saying she should start up an ‘Ask Lydia’ column in the school newspaper, since she was so good at telling people what to do with their lives. A hollow laugh found its way out of Lydia’s throat at the memory.

       She didn’t hear the little door open and close, or the footsteps on the concrete of the balcony. It wasn’t until she heard a voice behind her that she was shaken out of her thoughts. “You’ll freeze if you stay out here much longer.”

       Lydia turned to find Derek, standing there with his hands in his pockets, looking at her with what was either concern or pity. She couldn’t tell. She opened her mouth to answer him, but instead just shrugged. She hadn’t really felt the cold until that very moment, honestly, despite the fact that it was mid-November and the wind was starting to pick up to a harsh pace. Now that she noticed it, though, she could feel the sting of the air on her face and through the gaps in the lace on her arms. Her body shivered involuntarily.

       “Here,” before she could protest, Derek had shrugged out of his old leather jacket and draped it over her shoulders, “I’m sure you’re dealing with enough without piling hypothermia on top of it all.”

       She was far too exhausted to bother with arguing like she normally would have. Instead she pulled the jacket on and leaned back in her chair. “Thanks. What are you doing out here?”

       “Just…seeing if you were okay,” He shrugged, not mentioning how Melissa and John had seemed worried when they saw her leave and suggested that someone should check on her, “or if you needed anything.”

       Lydia shook her head. “Thanks, but I’m fine. Just needed some air.”

       Derek understood. After he lost his family it felt like the ash from his home had found its way into his lungs, making it harder and harder to breathe. Even years later he would get the sudden feeling of his chest getting tighter, and no matter where he was the air suddenly felt thick and stifling.

       “It gets easier, eventually,” He said, “It never goes away, but it gets easier to breathe.”

       Lydia had never figured Derek to be the comforting type, and coming from anyone else she probably would have scoffed, but something about his words did help. Maybe it was the knowledge that he’d been through it before, or just something about his sturdy presence. Whatever it was, it did make her feel better.

       “Thanks. I think I should go find Kira and head home. It’s getting late,” She said, gesturing to the darkening sky. She had just made it back through the door when he spoke up again.

       “If you need anything, someone to talk to or…whatever. I’m available.”

       She looked over her shoulder at him, still standing out on the balcony, and smiled. “Thanks. I’ll remember that.”

       He nodded in response and watched her walk away. By the time he went back inside she and Kira were already gone.


	2. Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the wait. I meant to have this up a few days ago, but life got in the way of that.
> 
> I've altered the timeline a little so that Allison's death happened over Thanksgiving break, so this chapter takes place the first Monday back at school after that.

       Stiles tapped his fingertips on the steering wheel, one-by-one. It was a constant rhythm that he’d kept up for what had to be ten minutes now, while he sat there in the parking lot at school. He’d taken to counting his fingers almost constantly since the Nogitsune left him. It served two purposes: it reassured him that he wasn’t dreaming or trapped in his own mind again, and it helped fend off any oncoming panic attacks, as if the constant counting and the drumming rhythm kept him focused enough to hold back some of the anxiety.

       He still had the nightmares and the panic attacks, of course, but now they were mostly confined to when he was alone at home, instead of forcing him to flee from class to catch his breath in the bathroom. He much preferred it that way. At least then he didn’t worry his friends or draw looks of pity from strangers. He knew that the others knew he wasn’t doing great, but if he could at least pretend to be fine then eventually he really would be. That’s what he’d convinced himself of, at least.

       A knock on the window made him nearly jump out of his skin, but when he looked up he saw it was only Isaac. The other boy put his hands up in a placating gesture and mouthed _‘Sorry’_. Stiles just opened the rusty door of the Jeep while he caught his breath.

       “I didn’t mean to scare you. Sorry.” Isaac apologized again, stepping back to give Stiles room to open the door.

       “It’s fine. What’s up?”

       “I was just seeing if you were okay. You’ve been sitting here a while, and school starts in a few minutes…” Isaac trailed off, appraising Stiles with a look that was part concern and part suspicion.

       Stiles didn’t really blame him, given how he had been sitting there practically in a trance, and he knew very well how rough he looked lately. He turned to look at the clock on his dashboard and saw that it was already 7:58 AM. The final bell would ring at 8:05. He had been sitting there longer than he realized, and when he looked up he noticed for the first time that the parking lot was full of cars and almost everyone was already inside.

       Isaac nudged him lightly and nodded his head towards the school. “Come on, you know how Kira’s dad is about punctuality.”

       History was Stiles’ first class, with Kira and Scott. Isaac had English with Danny and…and just Danny, now. He was tempted to skip that one altogether. He waited for Stiles to grab his things and the two boys walked into school together, neither of them speaking. Mr. Yukimura’s History class was on the opposite side of the school from Mrs. Bennett’s English, but if Stiles realized Isaac was stalling by walking him to class, he didn’t mention it. He knew Stiles would probably do something similar when it was time for him to go to Biology.

       When they stopped outside the open door, Isaac locked eyes for a brief second with Scott, but both boys quickly looked away. Things had been awkward between them since Allison died. Just this morning, Isaac had woken up early and been out the door before Scott even realized he was gone. Isaac barely heard Stiles mutter _‘Thanks’_ before he was turning around and walking in the opposite direction. The bell rang when he was halfway to class, and he couldn’t be bothered to care.

       Mrs. Bennett, the interim English teacher since Jennifer ‘disappeared’, gave him a disapproving look when he walked in. They’d have a permanent teacher in the spring, so her opinion of Isaac didn’t really mean a whole lot to him. There were three empty seats in the room: the one Isaac usually sat in, the one in front of it that was always Allison’s, and one on the back row next to Danny. Isaac didn’t even hesitate before taking the one in the back. Danny didn’t say anything, just gave him a small smile when he sat down.

***

       The first half of the day seemed to drag on forever to Scott. He didn’t talk to anyone, not even Kira or Stiles, and he had no idea what he would do when lunch rolled around. It was the first day back at school since Thanksgiving break, and since Allison’s death, and so far they were all mostly avoiding each other. Isaac and Stiles had walked in together that morning, and Scott was pretty sure he saw Kira and Lydia talking by the lockers between classes, but other than that it seemed no one knew where they all stood now.

       They would usually all eat together at one of the tables outside, but that didn’t look to be happening today. When he walked into the cafeteria, Scott noticed Lydia and Kira already sitting at one of the small round tables in the corner. They were leaning close together and seemed to be in deep conversation. Isaac was nowhere to be seen, and Scott was pretty sure he saw Stiles walk outside with his tray. After thinking it over for a moment, Scott took his own food and headed out the double doors in search of his best friend.

       It didn’t take much effort to find him. Stiles was alone at one of the wooden tables furthest from the crowd, munching on his sandwich in one hand while the other tapped restlessly on the table beside his tray. He didn’t look up as Scott approached, whether it was because he didn’t notice him, or just didn’t care, Scott had no idea. He stopped at the opposite side of the table from Stiles and stood still for a moment, waiting to see if Stiles would say anything. He didn’t.

       “Hey,” he finally said, placing his tray lightly on the wooden surface, “Can I join you?”

       Stiles finally looked up, put down his sandwich, and stopped tapping his fingers. “Sure.”

       Both boys were quiet for a few minutes while they ate. Scott knew Stiles had been dealing with a lot of guilt over the Nogitsune’s actions, but they hadn’t actually talked about it yet. Scott had his own share of guilt too, for not realizing that something was wrong with Stiles sooner, for not being able to stop the attacks on the Sheriff’s station and the hospital, for not just making Allison a long-range shooter in the fight, no matter how much she wanted to be on the ground, and—the one he felt the worst about—for being angry…at Stiles. He knew, rationally, that his best friend would never have done any of those horrible things if that spirit hadn’t been inside him. Stiles could be a little shit when he wanted to be, but he wasn’t a monster. He knew, rationally, that it wasn’t even Stiles doing those things at all, just his body. He knew it, rationally, but it was hard to be rational when you’d lost the love of your life and half the town had been destroyed. All he could do was keep reminding himself that it wasn’t Stiles and it wasn’t Stiles’ fault.

       Surprisingly, it was Stiles who spoke up first. “So,” he said, trailing off like he didn’t quite know what he wanted to say, “How are you holding up?”

       Scott thought it over before answering. “I’m…okay, I guess. Or, as okay as I can be. Just trying to figure out where we’re all supposed to go from here.”

       “Yeah,” Stiles nodded in agreement, “It’s hard to sit in class and act like everything’s the same as it was. Especially when everybody’s staring and whispering.”

       He looked up over Scott’s shoulder at that. When Scott turned to follow his gaze he saw a group of what looked to be freshmen across the grass watching them and muttering amongst themselves. He only listened close enough to catch bits of “…friends with her”, “…dated. Heard he was there too”, and “My cousin’s a senior and told me all the weird stuff they get into. Like a cult or something”. He quickly tuned them out, in no mood to hear anymore gossip about them or about Allison. Of course the whole school, hell the whole _town_ , knew about Allison’s death by now.

       Scott sighed and turned back around to face Stiles. “Ignore them,” he said, “We’ve all been through enough that the Beacon Hills High rumor mill shouldn’t even be a blip on our radar. They’ll move on to the next bit of gossip like they always do anyway.”

       Stiles nodded and finished the last of his lunch. “Yeah, I just hope the universe will decide to stop fucking with us for a little while. We’ve earned a break.”

***

       “Are you sure it was her?”

       “I’m sure. I just don’t know what she’s doing here.”

       Lydia and Kira had been sitting alone at a corner table in the cafeteria when Lydia suddenly nudged Kira in the side with her elbow, hard. Kira had choked on a mouthful of water, and when she looked up to see what was wrong, she saw Lydia watching the other side of the room. She couldn’t make out much through the crowds of students still streaming into the cafeteria, but when she followed Lydia’s gaze she saw Coach Finstock and a girl facing the opposite direction. Kira couldn’t make out who the girl was, long brown hair and a denim jacket being the only things she could see, but Lydia had her eyes firmly set on the pair. Before she had a chance to ask Lydia what was wrong, Coach and the girl were already leaving. She turned to Lydia to ask who it was, but the other girl cut her off before she could even speak. “Malia.”

       Since then the two girls had moved closer together, lowering their voices, even though the room was so noisy that no one was likely to hear them.

       “Wasn’t she a coyote for, like, ten years or something?” Kira asked, looking around to see if the girl had come back. She had never met Malia, only knowing of her through things she was told by the others. She knew she was a werecoyote, that she had been in Eichen House at the same time as Stiles, and that she had found the Katana that belonged to Kira’s mother.

       “She was, which is why I don’t know why she’s here.” Lydia answered, shaking her head, “The last time she was in school she was probably learning long division and reading _The Littles_.”

       Kira just shrugged. “Well, maybe they just want her to be around kids her own age. To socialize, you know? It looked like Coach was giving her a tour, so she’ll probably be starting next semester.”

       “Yeah. It’s just, there’s…something else.” Lydia said, leaning in even closer to Kira. “Something about her that could complicate things if she gets involved with the pack.”

       The only people who had known about Malia’s parentage were Lydia, Allison, and Peter. Lydia hadn’t had time to say anything to the others before things got out of control. Now she wasn’t sure whether it would help or hurt things for everyone to know the truth.

       “What is it?” Kira asked.

       Lydia hesitated, looking around to make sure Malia hadn’t come back and that no one else was paying them any attention. “Allison and I found out that Mr. Tate isn’t Malia’s real father.”

       There was a pause, and Kira wasn’t sure whether Lydia intended to just leave it at that or not. “And?” She asked, prompting Lydia to continue. “If it’s not Mr. Tate, then who?”

       “Peter.”

       “Peter. As in…”

       “As in Derek’s Uncle Peter, yes.”

       “…Wow”

       “Yeah.”

       “I take it no one knows yet?”

       Lydia sighed, shaking her head. “Only Allison and I knew at first. Peter knew he had a kid, but he didn’t know who it was. Then I asked him to help us when we finally captured the Nogitsune, and he agreed. But, like everything else with him, it came with a condition. He would only help us if I gave him a name. But no, none of the others know.”

       “But now Peter knows. How bad is that?” Kira asked.

       “I mean, anything involving Peter is usually really bad, but I’m not sure. All I told him was her name, so he may still be looking and not know who she is yet. But once he does find her, it could be bad. Just the fact that he was so eager for the information tells me that he has some ulterior motive beyond just wanting to be a dad all of a sudden.”

       “Well, maybe we should keep an eye on her, then?” Kira asked. “To keep her safe if we need to and to keep up with Peter, in case he does have something planned.”

       Lydia nodded and leaned back in her seat. “I don’t want to tell the others yet. But you’re right, it certainly couldn’t hurt to keep her close.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the chapters are kind of short right now, but they will get longer after I get these first few chapters out of the way and we get into the Benefactor plot.


End file.
